Steering mechanism for vehicles



Oct- 27, 1925' O. D. SCHVARTZ STEERING mscmmxsm FOR vianxcms Filed May 24, 1924 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 O. D. SCHVARTZ STEERING MECHANISM FOR VEHICLES Filed May 24, 1924 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Oct. 27, 1925- O. D. SCHVARTZ swamps mscmmsm FOR VEHICLES Filed May 24, 1924 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Oct. 27, 1925 O. D. SCHVARTZ s'rasnms MECHANISM FOR mlcus Filed May 24, 1924 4 Sheets-Sheet Patented Oct. 27, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OSCAR DANIEL BCHVARTZ, 0F HUDSON, NEW YORK. ASSIGNOR. BY MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS. TO VERSARE CORPORATION, A CORPORATION OF.NEW YORK.

STEERING MECHANISM FOR VEHICLES.

Application fled Hay $4, 1024. Serial No. 715,642.

T0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I. OSCAR: DANIEL SCHVARTZ, a subject of the King of Sweden, and resident of Hudson. in the county of Columbia and State of, New York have invented certain new and useful Im rovements in Steering -Mechanism for Ye icles, of which the following is a specification.

Large trucks or busses or vehicles, such as tractors and trailers, are subject to many restrictions in their use because of the difficulty of driving and turning vehicles of such length in relatively narrow streets and crowded traflic- An object of the invention is to provide steering mechanism applicable to such vehicles which will overcome all existing: objections on these grounds and enable the vehicles to he guided easily through crowded trailic and turn completely without hacking, in a relatively narrow space.

It is primarily designed for large metropolitan busses. and the desired result is accomplished by placing four wheels on a -front truck unit and employing another rear truck unit also having: four wheels. Each truck unit of four wheels can turn to any desired position relative to the body by means of a fifth wheel.

Each truck unit has its front; wheels pro vided with the usual steering knuckles. tie rod and axle similar to the usual orstandard type construction for motor vehicles. The front truck unit is manually steered by any desired means although preferably b means such as disclosed in my copendincapplication Serial No. 719.819 filed June 13, 1924. or a co-pending application of O. F. Warhus Serial No. 745.875, filed October 25, 1924.

i The rear truck unit is steered by means of a. telescoping rod fastened at its front end at a selected point on the body of the vehicle and at its rear end to the front axle of the rear truck. A suitable connection is provided between the telescoping rod and the tie rod which is connected to the steering knuckles of the front wheels of the rear truck. The efl'ect of this is to turn the front wheels. When the front truck is steered manually to carry the forward end of the body to one side, this momement of the body carries the front end of the telescopic rod to one side and thereby turns that rod about its pivotal connection to the rear truck. This movement of the i'od operates through the tie-rod to turn the front wheels about the pivotal connections of their stubshafts to the front. axle. The angular po sition to which the front wheels of the rear truck are thus turned operates. as the vehicle moves forward. to turn the rear truck relatively to the body. This action of the rear truck is a delayed action for it is effected by the lateral movement of the forward portion of the body, and secondarily by the turnin c movement of the front wheels of the rear truck. The result is that the rear truck. turns to make the curve which the front truck has made or is male ing; the wheels of the rear truck do not follow the tracks of the wheels of the front truck but instead take a somewhat different curvature which is governed largely by the point on the body where the telescopic rod is connected and the arrangement of the connections from that red to the stuhshafts of the front. wheels oi the rear truck at an angle different from the angle at which any of the other wheels of thc vehicle are set at any given time.

The conntwtions hctn'uon the telescoping rod and the rear truck and he! We n said rod and the body of the vehicle may he adinst able. The point of ronnection hotncen the rod and the vehicle may be varied according to the precise result desired.

Other features of the invention will be apparent from the following dctailed dcscription and the appended claims.

in the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the front and rear portions of a vehicle equipped with my invention.

Figure 2 is a diagrannnatic view showing" different positions assumed by the vehicle when turning.

Figure 3 is a. bottom plan view of the front and rear trucks and connections when turning.

Figure 4 is a top plan View of a clamp on the front axle of the rear truck.

Figure 5 is a vertical longitudinal section of the" same.

Figure 6 is a side elevation partly in section of the connection between the telescopic rod and the tie rod.

Figure 7 is a top plan view of the same.

Figure 8 is a vertical section with parts in elevation. of the connections between the telescopic rod and the body of the vehicle lf'igure 9 is a. bottom plan view of the same.

The body 1 of the vehicle may be of any nsusl or desired type. It is supported on two track units by means of fifth wheels 2 and 3 which permit eat-h truck unit to assume any desired angular position with reference tnthc body of the vehicle. The front truck unit has a front axle 4 provided with stub axles and (3. on which are mounted wheels 7 and El. The stub axle arms are connested b v =2 tie rod 9 which is given a steering mmement in any desired manner, such for instance as that described in one or the other of the applieations for patents above identified. The supporting springs and the general character of this truck unit may be of any type so far as this invention is cone-e ru ed.

Similarly the rear truck unit has a front axle l ft. saub axles 11 and l2 supporting Wlii't'lgs l and Hi and a tie rod 15 given a inmenient as hereinafter set forth. The other features of this unit may be of any desired character so far as the present invention is concerned.

When the front truek is turned by the steering mechanism, the. turning movement transmitted to the tear track by the mech ai-liran, now to be described. A telescopic rodFeoniposed of two parts l6 and 17 eonneets the front axle of the rear truck with sele ted part of the vehicle body a consirh distance in front lllerenl'.

elaiup Eilt'l! as shown in Figures 5 and 5 is attached to the front axle of the rear trial, This clamp eom 'wrises upper and lower plates 18 :lnd' 19 joined by a transverse web fill and a longitudinal Web 21. The rear portions of the plates project beyond the axle and are drawn into engagement therewith by H and 23 Working throughelongated and 251 \Vh n. these bolts are drawn tight, they will clamp the plates in adjusted i the axle, The plates 18 and :ird the from; end where they by a pivot bolt 26 which Works in a member if? having a attached by a bolt or pin 27" to the rear end of the portion 17 of the telescopic rod. The opening 28 in this member is of a size at the center to fit the pivot pin or bolt but tapers towards each end as shown in Figure 5, permitting a certain amount of oscillation of the telescopic rod relative to the clamp.

The tie rod instead of being a single member, is composed of two rods 29 and 30 connected near the middle by a loop 31 as shown in Figures 5 and, T. This loop has upper and lower central bearings 32 and 3?: which receive pintles extending from ashort sleeve 34 through which slides freely the rear porti n l7 of the telescopic rod.

The front end of the portion l6 of he telescopic rod is attached to the v hicle body by the following me hanism. At any do sired point near the longitudinal center of the vehicle and as far in front of the rear truck as may be deemed desirable, the body is provided with an angular bracket IHUI'H' ber of the form shown in Figure 8. This member has a vertical portion connected by two horizontal portions 36 and 37. A member A has a bottom plate :18 attached by a transverse rib 39 and a hmgitudinal rib 40 to a top plate 41. The bottom plate lits against the portion 37 of the bracket, the transverse rib fits against the vertiral portion of the bracket. and the top plate fits against the top portion 3!; of the bracket on the under side thereof. Bolts 42 fitting in elongated slots 43 serve to clamp the mem her to the bracket. At 'their rear, the up per and lower plates of the member have a pivot bolt 44: which passes through a hole in a ball shaped member 45 having a short stem 46 attached to the front member 16 olthe telescopic red by means of a pin or bolt 44. The opening in the member 45 fits the pivot boll: at its center, but tapers 95 outwardly permitting considerable oscilla/ tion of the telescopic rod relative to the clamp.

In Figure is shown a means for readily adjusting the position of the member to which the front end of the rod 16 is attached. A rod may be attached to the longitudinal rib 40 and have a threaded end passing i'reely between ears 46 and 47. A nut 48 is threaded on the rod between the ears, and when the bolts l2 are looseneiturning the nut will move the rod 50 endwise and therefore adjust the position of the member and the front end of the rod 16 relative to the bracket 35.

It is to be understood that the precise means for attaching the ends of the telescopio rod to the body and to the front axle and tie rod of the rear truck may be varied without departing from the invention. Al though I have shown a preferred form, this may be changed solong as certain essential principles are retained. Similarly the means provided for eilecting the lateral shift of the connection of the front; end of the telescopic rod 16 to the body of the vehiele may be varied in construction as desired as may also the extent of the rang over which that adjnstmentrmay be efl'eoted.

The operation of the device is as follows. When lhe vehicleis at rest nearflthe curb, all four wheels of each truck are panillel withthe curb as shown in diagram A of Figure 2. to make a turn When it is desired the front wheels of the truck fron truck will be turned by the manual steering mechanism as shown in diagram A of Figure 2. In the first part of the turning movement, little or no turningmove ment is imparted to the rear truck. As soon as the body begins to swing the point of attachment of the front end of the telescopic rod will begin to move sidewise. In other words, it has a lateral movement of translation. This will cause the tie rod of the rear truck to move sidewise in the same direction but much more slowlysince the point of operative enga ement of the telescopic rod with the tie r isso much closer to its oint of attachment with-the frontaxle of t e rear truck than it is to the point of attachment to the vehicle body. The tin-nin movement of the rear truck is therefore de ayed and this results in; marked practical advantages. l As a concrete example of the operation, it may be described as follows. Sn pose it is and the curve.

desired to turn a thirty foot ve lcle completely around in a thirty-five foot street without backing. The vehicle is assumed to be standing near the curb on one side of the street with all wheels parallel to the body The driver now turns the steering wheel and by this the front wheels at an angle of approximately 22 to the curb and toward the center of the street. The power is applied and as the vehiclemoves forward the angular position of the front wheels of the front truck causes that truck to turn angularly relativelv to the body and the front truck proceeds in the arc of a circle, carrying the front end of the body with it. The driver need pay no attention to any other paitj of the vehicle, but when the front wheels reach a position approximately parallel with the curb on the other side of the street. he will straighten the angle. of the front wheels of the front truck to be parallel with thccurb and the rear wheels of the front truck, and on further movement the front truck will turn realtively to the body until finally it is parallel to the length thereof.

During this turning movement, the body of the vehicle has been turning at an angle to the curb and at anangle to the rear truck, thus moving the front end of the rod 16-17 and through the connections described turning the front wheels of the rear truck. Since the front truck will be about half way across the street before the rear truck, has advanced more than ten or fifrcenfeet, the body angle has not been such as to draw the rear' truck away from the curb be ond a few inches. The front wheels of t e rear truck have now been turned at an angle of approximately 12 to 15 and this angle is greatly in-, cfiased within the next few feet of travel ll it reaches approximately a maximum of 25 which, together with the turning movement of the rear truck relatively to the body caused by the travel of the truck when its frontwheels are turned angularly, causes the tracking of the rear truck to be brought to within less than three feet of the trackin of the front truck in making this turn. he turnin of the front wheels may be substantially in the arc of a circle, or a semi-circle in making the complete turn. The tracking of-the front wheels of the rear truck are in a line approaching a semi-elli se. It therefore follows that the tracking of the rear truck always lies within the track ing of the front truck, or at least never goes outside of the same. There is for this reason no tendency :for the rear wheels to run up on the curhwhen turned fronts. point a jacent thereto. Fig. 3 re resents the relation of the parts at the mi die of the turn. As stated, the front end of the rod 16 17 may be attached to the vehicle body at an desired point, and the ratio between the points of connection of this rod with the vehicle, the front axle of the rear truck and its point of engagement with the tie rod of the rear truck may beso selected as to obtain any desired degree of delay regardless of the length of bod of the vehicle. Whenever the front true is steered, the body is moved sidewise and.

this movement is communicated to the front wheels of the rear truck through the telesco ing rod as explained.

his rod is made telescopic in order to allow for the necessar variation in length when moving from t estraight ahead fb the angular positions, and similarly the rod slides through the sleeve 31 for the same reason.

It is obvious that various details ma be changed and parts of the invention modified without in any way departing from the spirit thereof. While a preferred form has been illustrated, applicant desires it under" stood that the invention is to be regarded as limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim as my invention: I 1. In a vehicle, a body, a truck having front and rear wheels on which the rear portion of the body is pivotally mounted,

the front wheels of the truck being pivotally mounted on the truck to turn about two separate substantially vertical axes, a member operativel connected to the bod and mounted so that a portion thereof as a lateral movement of translation relative to the truck when the forward portion of the bod moves laterally, and connections from sai ortion of the member to the front whee s of the truck for turning those wheels about their separate axes w en said portion of the member moves laterally.

2:11: a vehicle, a body, a truck'having front and rear wheels on which the rear portion of the body is pivotallymonnted, the front wheels of the truck'ben'ig pivotally mounted on the truck to turn about snhstnntially vertical ones, a rod pivotally connected at its forward end to the body and at its rear end to the truck, and a connection from the said rod to the front wheels of the truck for turning those wheels relatively to the truck when the forward portion of the body moves laterally.

3. In a vehicle, a body, a truck having front and rear wheels on which the rear portion of the body is pivotally mounted, the front wheels of the truck being pivotally mounted on thetrnch to turn about sub stentially vertical uses, a rod pivotallv connected at its forward end to the body nnd at its rear end to the truck, a connection .from the rod to the front wheels of the truck for turning those Wheels relatively to the truck when the forward portion of the body moves laterally, and means for shitting laterally of the body the point of connection of said rod to the body of the vehicle.

4. In a vehicle, a body, a trncik having front and rear wheels on which the rear portion of the'body is pivotnlly mounted,

permitting them to be turned about suhstantially vertical axes, and an automatic steering mechanism for the rear truck including a rod pivotelly connected at its forward end to the body of the vehicle and at its rear end to the truck and connections from the rod to the front wheels-of the truck whereby those wheels are turned about their substantially vertical axes by lateral movement of the forward portion of the body.

6. In a vehicle, a body, a truck having front and rear wheels on which the rear portion of the body is pivotnlly mounted, the front wheels of the truck being pivotally mounted on the truck to turn about two eparate substantially vertical axes, a memoer pivotally connected to both the hotly and. to the truck, and connections from said member to the front Wheels of the truck for turning those wheels relatively to the truck about their separate axes when the forward. portion .of the body moves laterally.

7. In a vehicle, a body, a truck having front and rear wheels on which the rear portion of the body is pivotelly mounted, the front wheels of. the truck being pivotally mounted on the truck to turn about two separate substantially vertical axes, a member connected to the body and extending lengthwise thereof and actuated by turning movement of the body relatively to the from said member to the front wheels about their separate axes of the truck for turning those wheels when the forward portion of the body moves laterally.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name.

OSCAR DANIEL SCHVARTZ.

truck, and connections extending laterally .L.) neui inn 1:1" said 11H: in Th0 body Of the vi iril.

H110?! and summations exlcndir iuramiiy {rum mud member to the from w .001 bout {h separate axes of ihe: Lmvl: l1

puz'tmn of :hnsxu wheuis when the imwar i 1m hndy moves {M16 ally.

i1 t stimony whereofi 5 have hm'eermm -1- Th1d my name.

USUJLR DA N'LEL SHEEP-f Sertficate M Cormctirm,

It is hereby cmtifivfl that in Lnfrers Patent No. LSSQMF-O, ilHHNid 925,1zp0n Hm :Lpgrhru'rmn ui' i is-("121' Dani's! Scln mix.

the wards my? 1115* rum" tmvk twig 3M5," TU/NTEM; wf HM I'M/i1 7e m w claim '1'. sifilm out the \YUl'ilS Mum? to follow af er the ward whvvls" shouhi he read with these mrrwflwrw ,i'fiC/Gfd of the case in the Patent ()ffivv.

Signed and. sealed this 15H". day 03' hw'wmLu-r. A. D. 1925.

[S AL] li ting ("r/mm Certificate of 'Correction.

It is hereby certified that. in Letters Patent No. 1,559.050, granted October 2'1, 1925, upon the applicatiun of ()srar Daniel Srhvartz, (if Hudson, New York, for an improvement in Steering Mechanism for Vehicles, errors appear in the printed s-[nx-ilicatiu'n requiring correctinn as fullmrs: Page 1, lines 49 and 49, strike out the 191115 of the rear truck szuue page, line.;50, after the word wheels and before the period insert the words of the rear truck at an angle (Iiflerwnt from the angle at Willi IL any of His other wheels of the vehicle are set at any given time; same page, lines 78 to 81. Strike uut the words at an angle difi'erent.fr0m the angle at which any of the other wheels of the vehicle are set at any given time; page 4, lines 73 and 74, claim 7, strike out the words about their separate axes and insert the same to follow after the word fwheels in line 75: and that the said Letters Patent shuuld be read with these corrections therein that the same may conform to the remrd of the case in the Patent ()ltice.

'lhis ertifieate supersedes Certificate of (furreetion issued December 15, 1925.

Signed and sealed this 19th day of January, A l). 1926.

[SEAL] \VM. A. KINNAN,

Acting (omnu'ssioner )f Patents. 

